Storm on the Horizon
by TeaLee
Summary: -BL RikuxSora- Riku and Sora realize that they no longer fit in at home so they leave. Things are going good for them for a while. But an ancient evil has awakened and a new war is about to begin.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **I know another new story and I have two incomplete ones but this story just came to me so here it is. No worries I am still working on my other two even though it's been awhile especially for Starting Over (haven't abandoned it. Promise.). Have the first two chapters written for this story and working on the third. Please leave a review and tell me what you think.

**Description: (Slash RikuxSora). **After their adventures Sora and Riku find out that they no longer fit in at home. Not only that but Sora is having nightmares. Worried about his friend Riku suggests that they find someplace knew so they leave. They eventually find a new home and things are going well for them. But they don't stay that way for long as an ancient evil has awakened…

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

**Spoilers: **All Kingdom Hearts games. Story takes place after Kingdom Hearts 3.

**Chapter 1**

When Riku woke up he could tell immediately that something was wrong; he had gotten good at that over the last several months. He looked over at the other bed and saw that it was empty. Riku slowly sat up from his warm bed and let out a hiss when his feet touched the cold wooden floor. It looked as if winter was well on its way. He would really have to start stocking up to get them through the long winter months. But that was a problem to be thought about later right now he had other things to worry about.

He walked out into the living room and barely repressed a sigh. Sora was up sitting at the kitchen table staring into what Riku assumed was a cup of coffee. By the warmth in the room and by the looks of the fire he had a feeling that Sora had been up for a while. Sora must have heard him because he looked at him and gave him one of his sad smiles.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" Sora asked.

"No," Riku said with a small shake of his head.

"I made some coffee," Sora said as he indicated the pot on the table.

"Thanks," Riku said as he joined his friend. He poured himself a cup and took a sip. Now that he drank the stuff he couldn't start his day without it. Sora shrugged but didn't say anything. Riku frowned. He hated how quiet Sora had become.

"Who's nightmare did you have this time?" Riku asked.

"Ven's," Sora answered quietly.

Riku nodded in understanding. There was never anything he could say after Sora had one of his nightmares. They were part of the reason they were here in the first place. The other reason being that they had both done and seen too much to go back to their old lives.

"You hungry? I'm going to make some breakfast," Riku said as he stood up not giving time for Sora to answer.

"It's my turn to cook," Sora said with a scowl.

"I prefer my food edible," Riku teased as he grabbed some eggs from the bowl on the counter. He smiled when Sora pouted looking more like his old self.

"My cooking's not that bad," Sora nearly whined.

"Says you," Riku retorted. "And since I'm cooking you can do the dishes." Sora stuck his tongue out at him before his gaze turned to look out the window. Sora looked pensive as he watched the sun come up. Knowing that Sora was no longer in the mood for playful banter Riku thought it best that he start on breakfast.

Riku felt that the wood burning stove was still warm from when Sora had made the coffee but added another log. As he began to cook the eggs he couldn't help but to remember what brought them here in the first place…

_They had been back home not even for two months and Riku whished he was any place but. Sure while he was gone he wanted to come home but now that he was…it wasn't the same. More than likely he wasn't the same. It was hard to go back to worrying about a math test when you had helped save several worlds from darkness. _

_Kairi didn't seem to be having as hard as time adjusting. Of course she hadn't been gone near as long as him and Sora. And once again she mainly stayed out of the fighting. True she could wield a keyblade but she was also one of the Seven Princesses so she also had to be protected. _

_As for how Sora was adjusting. Riku was worried. Sora's smiles never reached his eyes and he had become quiet and withdrawn. Not that he expected his friend to be unchanged by what happened but with everything Sora had been through he had always maintained his upbeat attitude but now. Something was wrong. _

_He was on his way to figure out what it was. Riku knew that Sora wouldn't be home; as he hardly ever was. His friend had taken to spending a lot of time on the small island. He tied his boat up and slowly walked towards the hut Sora spent most of his time in. _

_Even though the sun was warm Riku shivered. There were a lot of bad memories tied to this place. There were a lot of good memories too but the bad seemed to outnumber the good. As Riku neared the hut he heard the distinct sound of someone crying. Worried the Sora was hurt Riku hurried inside. _

_What he found was Sora sitting in the back his thin arms wrapped around his legs, his head resting on his knees, and crying like the worlds were ending. Not wanting to startle his distraught friend but wanting to help him Riku quietly walked over and sat down next to him. _

"_What's wrong?" Riku asked. _

"_Nightmares," Sora said quietly._

"_Nightmares?" Riku asked with a frown. Sora nodded and Riku's frown deepened. Nightmares were something that he could no longer help Sora with. He had long since lost his dream eater powers. "Anything you want to talk about?" he offered not sure what else he could do but listen. _

"_I wish I could but they're…they're not mine," Sora said. _

"_They're not yours?" Riku asked needing to understand._

"_No," Sora said sadly. I still feel their pain. Their fears…" Sora said his voice trailing off. _

"_But you helped them and they're fine now," Riku told him. _

"_My head knows that but," Sora said as he began to rub his chest, "my heart. I felt all of their pain. All of their sorrow. There was so much of it." Once again Riku was at a loss as what to say. He had enough dealing with his own nightmares. He couldn't imagine having nightmares of others. _

"_I can't do this," Sora muttered without looking up. _

"_Do what?" Riku asked although he knew the answer that Sora was going to give him. _

"_This," Sora said as he finally looked at him. His eyes looking far too old and far too broken for someone his age. "They all want me to be happy. Be who I was but I…I can't. It hurts too much. _

_I can't fight anymore. I'm just…tired. And everyone here they don't…they don't understand." _

"_They why don't we go away," Riku suggested. He hated seeing Sora so broken. He wanted some way to help his friend. He thought that once they got home things would be better but it almost seemed to be making it worse. _

"_Go where?" Sora asked. _

"_A world where they don't know about heartless or keyholes or anything like that. A place where we can go and just…be," Riku suggested. _

"_But what about the others? If we just up and leave they'll assume something happened to us," Sora said. _

"_We'll leave a note here for Kairi and we'll send another one to the King and he can tell everyone else explaining. They'll understand," Riku told him. _

"_But…what about you?" Sora asked. "I…" _

"_Idiot," Riku said cutting him off. "I'm finding it hard to be home too. Things aren't the same." _

"_Do you really think it would be alright for us just to leave like this?" Sora asked. _

"_I do. After everything that happened and we've been through. You've helped enough people now you need to do what you need to do," Riku told him._

"_Then let's find some place new," Sora said after a long moment. _

"Do you think Ven's happy now?" Sora asked breaking into his thoughts.

"You put him back together and found his friends," Riku told Sora.

"I know but he's been through so much…what Xenoheart did to him…" Sora said his voice trailing off.

"Is that what you're nightmare was about?" Riku asked. Sora nodded and Riku frowned.

"True he's been through a lot but he's with Aqua and Terra again and they can help him," Riku said as he scooped out the eggs on two plates and once again joined Sora at the table.

"You're right," Sora said as he picked at his eggs. "Sorry for being such a downer all of the time."

"You're not a downer and I would rather you talk about what's bothering you than keep it all bottled up," Riku told him.

"Sorry…"

"You don't need to apologize for everything," Riku cut him off then ruffled his hair. He always forgot how soft his friend's hair was. "Now eat up I was thinking about going into town today."

"Town?" Sora asked curiously.

"Yeah we need some supplies and it's a nice day and all. Who knows how many more of those we'll have," Riku said.

"Do you want me to hitch up the wagon," Sora offered.

"No you're doing dishes. I'll hitch up the wagon," Riku said as he quickly finished his eggs. For a moment he thought that Sora was going to argue with him but his friend just shook his.

"I already fed the animals so you don't have to worry about that," Sora said.

"Right," Riku said as he got up and headed towards the door. "Make sure you grab your coat its cold outside and the ride to town is long."

"I'm not a kid," Sora said with a pout.

"Whatever you say," Riku said glad that Sora seemed in a little better mood.

Once Riku was outside Sora let out a long sigh. He was exhausted. He had been having more and more nightmares lately and they had been more intense. Luckily he was getting better at hiding them at any rate. When they first left he was constantly waking up Riku but now he learned how to stay quiet while having one. Riku still knew of course, not much got past him, but at least he got a descent night's sleep.

He let out another sigh as he got up from the table and went over to their 'sink'. He began to pump the water. Normally he would heat it first but they didn't have time for that. Sora shook his head as he began to wash the few dishes they used that morning. He felt guilty for Riku being here.

Sora knew that once again leaving was not his idea but the world they ended up choosing hardly had any technology. Not that it wasn't a nice place because it was and he liked where they lived. Still he didn't like the fact that Riku had given up so much for him. Even though Riku had told him several times that he wanted to leave he couldn't help but wonder if his friend regretted it.

He shook his head to get rid of his depressing thoughts. If he went outside looking sad it would just worry Riku and he had already done that enough for one day. He quickly put away the dishes, grabbed his coat, and headed outside.

"You ready to go?" Riku already seated in their wagon.

"Yeah," Sora said as he joined him. He gave Riku what he hoped as a reassuring smile. The last thing he wanted to do was give his friend anymore worries.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **Alright here's chapter 2. I know it's got a slow start but I promise it will pick up. Working on Ch 3 now. Don't know when it will be up though. I got a lot of views for this story but no reviews (sniff). Please leave a review and tell me what you think. I really do like reading them.

* * *

**Chapter****2**

The town was a good two hours away from their cabin when they took the wagon. The ride to town had been a pleasant one even though Riku could tell that the nightmare Sora had was bothering him more than he let on. But his smaller friend seemed to relax as they rode on so he decided not to push Sora on the issue.

They entered the small town and people greeted them with smiles and waves. They had been living in their cabin for four months and they were already part of the community. Riku parked the wagon in front of the general store and the two of them hopped down and went inside.

The store was warm and the heat felt nice after being in the cool, crisp, autumn air. Many shelves lined the walls showing off the different goods there were to buy. In the middle of the store were several barrels filled with fresh picked apples.

"Morning boys," the old store clerk Robert greeted them. He was a short, small man with short black hair and sharp dark eyes.

"Morning," Riku and Sora said in unison.

"Do you need help with anything?" Robert asked them.

Riku's first instinct was to say no but then he thought better of it. He had never spent significant amount of time in a cold climate before. And not only did he have to worry about himself but Sora was well.

He looked over at his friend and saw that he was browsing the section of books with a small, contented smile. Riku couldn't help but to smile himself. He was glad to see the Sora seemed to like it here. Since the town didn't know Sora before everything happened they didn't know anything but the solemn person that he had become and never pushed him to be anything different.

"Actually there is," Riku said as he turned back to Robert. "Me and Sora come from a warm climate and I'm not sure…"

"You don't know what supplies you need to get through the winter," Robert supplied for him.

"Yeah," Riku told him.

"What animals do you have?" Robert asked as he tapped his finger against his lips.

"The two horses, one cow, and a few chickens," Riku answered.

"And it's just the two of you?" Robert asked. Riku nodded. "Tell you what I'll make out a list of what you need while you go and talk to Mac about getting a sleigh."

"A sleigh?" Riku asked curiously.

"You know like the one Santa uses," Sora said as he joined them holding a book in one of his hands. Robert chuckled and shook his head.

"Something like that. We can get a lot of snow around here. Why don't you go and talk to Mac and I'll get a list together of what you'll need," Robert told them.

"Thanks. We'll be back in a bit then," Riku said as he headed towards the door with Sora following.

"Oh wait the book," Sora said just before they stepped outside. He went over to the counter where he discussed the price of the book for a moment before handing over the money. Once that was done the two of them went outside.

"A sleigh like Santa's, huh," Riku said as the two of them walked down the street.

"You know he's real," Sora said with a pout.

"Yeah I guess I do," Riku said with a chuckle. "So what's your book about?"

"It's about this guy who tries to go home after he fought a very long war but gets lost," Sora said as he looked down at his book.

"It sounds…interesting," Riku said wondering why Sora would choose a book that sounded kind of sad.

"It is," Sora said with a nod. "Are you worried about the winter?"

"No," Riku said with a shrug. Sora raised an eyebrow at him and Riku sighed. Sora was too perceptive for his own good. "Really. We'll be fine. It actually might be kind of fun having all of that snow."

"You're right. Sor…" Sora started to say when Riku quickly ruffled his hair.

"What have I told you about apologizing all of the time," Riku admonished. Sora shrugged and gave him one of his lopsided grins but didn't say anything which made Riku roll his eyes.

Riku could hear Mac's store before he could see it. Mac was the town's only blacksmith so he was constantly busy. At the moment Riku could hear him pounding away on something.

Mac's 'shop' was mostly open with one large door that was only closed at night. He was indeed work on something. He had a piece of red hot metal on his large anvil and was pounding away on it with his hammer sending sparks flying.

Mac was a big, burly man with strong arms. He had long graying black hair and beard. Both his hair and beard had been singed and his bare arms had several burn marks on them. Despite all of that the sparks never seemed to bother him.

After he pounded the piece of metal a few more times Mac put it in a barrel and steam came billowing out. The man then wiped his forehead on his arm leaving a trail of soot. That was when he finally noticed the two of them standing there.

"Riku! Sora! What can I do you for?" he asked his voice loud.

"Robert said something about us needing a sleigh," Riku said.

"Would be a good idea," Mac said as he rubbed his chin putting even more soot on his face. "Of course if you boys moved to town…"

"Thank you but we like our cabin," Riku said cutting the man off.

"Oh well. Can't say I blame you. It's a nice place and it's good to have someone living there again," Mac said with a wink. "So you boys want to order a sleigh?"

"Yeah. Something like Santa's," Riku said with a smirk

"You're so annoying sometimes," Sora said with a scowl.

"Something like Santa's," Mac said with a big belly laugh. "Never had an order for something like that before."

"It doesn't have to be like Santa's," Sora said as he rolled his eyes. "I was just using that as an example because Riku didn't know what one was. He can be a bit of a putz."

"Hey I'm standing right here," Riku cut in.

"Can't help what you are," Sora said with a shrug. Riku stuck his tongue out at him and turned his attention back to Mac who was just barely holding in his laughter.

"I take it you boys come from a warm climate?" Mac asked.

"Very warm," Riku answered.

"Winters here can be pretty rough and you'll definitely need a sleigh. Especially if you try to get to town. You boys don't happen to hunt, do you?" Mac asked now looking serious.

"Not till we moved here," Riku told him. He wasn't the best at it but he was getting better. "But I've learned and Sora can fish."

"That's good. I can make you a sleigh. I can even run it out to your place for you," Mac said with a thoughtful look.

"Really?" Sora asked. "Because we can pick it up. We don't want you to go to too much trouble."

"It's no trouble," Mac said with a wave of his hand. "Now you two go and enjoy your day. I'll have for it by the end of the month."

"Thanks," Riku told him. Mac gave them another smile and went back to his hammering. "Guess we should head back to Robert's. See if he has that list for us."

"Actually I think I am going to stop by the bakery instead," Sora said quietly.

"Are you feeling alright?" Riku asked as he put his hand on the smaller boy's forehead checking for a fever.

"I'm fine," Sora said his cheeks looking slighting red. "I just want to read my new book and see if Mazy has any cinnamon rolls."

"Alright then. I'll meet you there when I'm done," Riku said hoping that Sora wasn't getting sick.

"Okay," Sora said with a smile and then walked down that opposite street which led to the bakery. Riku watched him go with a bit of apprehension. For some reason he was getting a bad feeling a very bed feeling. Hoping that he was overthinking things Riku turned and walked back towards Robert's store.


	3. Chapter 3

**Review Thanks!**

**antisocial-crew: **Thank you very much for my first review for this story! I'm glad you like it :)

**AN: **Well here's chapter 3. You get to meet Oliver! I hope you all like him as he will be a main character. Next chapter things really pick up. I'll actually be writing my first big action scene. I've never written anything like it before. Not sure when it will be up though. Anyway please leave a review and tell me what you think!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

As soon as Sora stepped into the bakery he could smell freshly baked bread. He smiled to himself. He loved the bakery. It always smelled good and it was always warm. Sora looked towards Mazy who was working behind the counter humming a song to herself as she put bread on the shelves. She was a kind, plump woman who was always giving him free sweet rolls saying the he was way too thin.

"Sora, sweetheart, it's so good to see you," Mazy said as she gave him a big smile.

"You too," Sora said as he returned it.

"Why don't you sit down at one the tables and I'll bring you a cinnamon cream raisin roll. Fresh from the oven," Mazy said as she wiped her hands on her apron.

"Thank you," Sora said as he sat at one of the small tables near a window that looked out onto the bustling street. He pulled out his new book and had every intention of reading it but his mind wandered.

He felt guilty for taking Riku away from home but at the same time it made him happy. Really, really, happy. After being apart and looking for him so long he finally had Riku all to himself. Which of course led to another problem. He had always liked Riku; which his friend was oblivious to. But his attraction to his friend had grown and the way Riku treated him. Riku went from either acting like an annoying older brother or even worse a doting mother.

"Penny for your thoughts," Mazy said as she set a plate with a steaming sweet roll in front of him and a large glass of milk. He looked up at her expectantly. "You should just tell him that you like him."

"I…ah…what do you mean," Sora stammered.

"I'm not blind," Mazy said as she sat across from him. "I can tell you like someone and the only person that it can be is that handsome friend of yours."

"How do you know it's not you I'm pinning for?" Sora asked giving her what he hoped was a charming smile.

"Oh go on you," Mazy said as she blushed a nice shade of scarlet. For a moment Sora thought that she was going to press him again but the bell over the door chimed signaling someone had entered the bakery.

"Oliver!" Mazy said as she smiled at the man who had just entered. "Excuse me Sora."

"Of course," Sora told her glad he would no longer have to continue their discussion.

"Hi Mazy," the man said his voice soft.

Sora looked at him and saw that he wasn't much older than himself. He wasn't very tall and quite slim. He had dark auburn hair that was slightly curly and came to just past his ears. His eyes were a bright green and he had a sprinkle of freckles across his nose.

"You've even got thinner," Mazy said as she waved her finger at him.

"Well I…" Oliver said.

"None of that. Go and get to know Sora and I'll get you a cinnamon roll," Mazy said as she walked back towards her counter.

"Mazy…" Oliver said but the woman cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"No argument," she then walked off muttering to herself about disobedient children.

"If you want I can sit somewhere else," Oliver said suddenly looking tired.

"It's fine," Sora said as he put his book away realizing that he wasn't go to get to read it.

"Thanks," Oliver said with a sad sort of smile as he sat down at the table. "I don't remember you from the last time we went through here."

"Me and Riku just moved here about four months ago," Sora told him.

"That would be why," Oliver said with a nod. "We haven't been through here for almost six months."

"We?" Sora asked curiously.

"What?" Oliver asked looking slightly confused.

"You keep saying we. Are you here with someone?" Sora asked but regretted it when any trace of a smile disappeared and was instead replaced with a look Sora knew all to well. Loss.

"Force of habit," Oliver said his voice tight.

"Here you go," Mazy said a she set a roll and glass of milk in front of Oliver.

"Thanks," Oliver mumbled.

"So where's Ian?" Mazy asked as she looked around the shop like she he was expecting him to suddenly appear. Sora noticed that the man across from him winced at the question.

"He ah…" Oliver stuttered. "He had to visit his family."

"Oh," Mazy said with a frown. "That's a shame. I wanted to see him again."

"You're not the only one," Oliver said.

"Yes well I hope that at least you're staying for a while," Mazy said as she looked at the young man expectantly.

"A bit, yes," Oliver said with a nod.

"Good, good," Mazy said as she wiped her hands on her apron. Once again the bell over the door chimed signaling someone else had entered the shop. Mazy gave them one last smile before going to help them.

"Are you alright?" Sora asked after the woman had left.

"Of course I am," Oliver said looking surprised. "Why do you ask?"

"You just seem so sad," Sora told him. Oliver opened and closed his mouth a few times before shaking his head.

"I have no clue what you're talking about," Oliver said.

Sora debated with himself how much he should reveal to a total stranger. He remembered how he felt when Riku went missing and how much he relied on his friendships to help him get through those times. And from the look in Oliver's eyes he had a feeling that he was going through something similar but had no one he could rely on.

"You're friend, Ian wasn't it? He's missing isn't he?" Sora asked. Oliver's eyes went wide and he quickly looked around as if someone was listening in on their conversation.

"What makes you say that?" the man asked his voice shaking slightly.

"I know that look well," Sora said with a sigh. "My friend went missing for a while too. And if you need any help…"

"Listen I appreciate the offer but it's best if you don't get involved. It isn't safe," Oliver said in a near whisper."

"Wha…" Sora started to ask but Oliver shook his head and stood up.

"Thanks for the sweet roll Mazy," Oliver said as he picked it up and headed for the door.

"And where are you off to?" Mazy asked as she put her hands on her hips.

"I have some things I need to take care of," Oliver said with a smile. "It's was nice meeting you Sora." And with that the man was gone.

Sora watched him leave wondering if he should follow him or not. He just seemed so upset and he didn't like the fact that he was involved in something that wasn't safe. That was never a good thing. Before he had time to follow Oliver the door opened and Riku walked in.

"Hello Riku," Mazy said with a big smile.

"Hey Mazy," Riku returned.

"Do you get things settled with Robert?" Sora asked him.

"Yeah. We need a lot of stuff. I have some of it now and we can pick up the rest in a few weeks," Riku explained.

"That means you'll be here for the festival," Mazy said.

"We were going to be here for it anyway but yeah," Riku told her.

"Good. You boys'll love it," Mazy said with a nod.

"I'm sure we will. You ready to go then?" Riku asked him.

"Yeah," Sora said as he gulped down his milk and stood up grabbing his uneaten sweet roll. Riku saw his treat and shook his head.

"Why don't you give us a dozen of those rolls if it wouldn't be too much bother," Riku said.

"I'll make it a baker's dozen and put it on your tab," Mazy said looking pleased with herself.

They bought the rolls and went outside. Sora's eyes went wide at how full their wagon was. Riku said they had a lot of stuff but he didn't expect this much and there was more to come.

"Winter's long here," Riku said as if he was reading his thoughts. "Plus there's also the animals we have to take care of."

"Right," Sora said as he climbed into the wagon. Riku did the same and the two of them were on their way home. As they drove through the town Sora kept his eyes open for Oliver but didn't see the man anywhere.

Sora really wanted to help that man. There was something familiar about him even though he had never met him before. It had to do something about the sad, lost, look in his eyes. Sora wanted to help him and he was planning on doing just that he just had to find a way to tell Riku. It was bad enough that Riku left home for him. The last thing he wanted to do was get Riku involved in another war. But he couldn't turn his back on someone that needed help either.


	4. Chapter 4

**Review Thanks!**

**Erstine 13624: **Thank you! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.

**Final Syai Lunar Generation:** Thanks very much! Yeah got to love the boys. As for how or when they get together. You'll just have to wait and see...

**AN: **Well here's chapter 4. This is where the story really picks up. I even tried to write my first action scene for it! Hope I did okay with it. Anyway please leave a review and tell me what you think ;)

* * *

**Chapter**** 4**

Sora looked out the window, let out a long sigh then went back to reading his book before once again sighing. Riku ground his teeth in frustration. This had been going on for nearly two weeks; ever since they got back from town. Something had happened that day but Sora wasn't talking about it.

"Alright enough!" Riku shouted making his smaller friend jump.

"Enough what?" Sora asked giving him big innocent eyes. Usually when Sora would give him that look he would cave but he couldn't this time. There was something wrong and he needed to know what it was.

"Don't give me that," Riku said with a roll of his eyes. "Something is bothering you and I want you to tell me what it is." Sora nervously chewed his bottom lip and Riku felt himself blush. He quickly shook his head. Something like that shouldn't make him blush. Sora was his best friend nothing more.

"I don't want to upset you," Sora said quietly as he set his book down.

"I'm already upset," Riku said. Sora flinched and now he felt guilty. "I'm not upset with _you_ but I'm worried. I don't like that you're keeping something from me."

"When we went to town I meet this guy Oliver…"

"You met a guy?" Riku asked suddenly feeling jealous. Again Riku didn't know why. So what if Sora was talking to some strange guy that he had been sighing over. That was no reason to be jealous. That didn't mean anything. Sure Sora was cute, and sweet, and had these big blue eyes…Riku quickly shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking about his best friend that way.

"Riku are you alright?" Sora asked sounding concerned.

"I'm fine. So you met a …guy," Riku said finally choking out the word telling himself that he wasn't jealous in the process.

"Yeah. His name is Oliver and I think he's in trouble," Sora explained.

"In trouble?" Riku asked that not being what he was expecting to hear. Sora nodded. "What makes you think that?"

"Well his friend Ian is missing even though he's pretending otherwise and when I offered to help he said that it wasn't safe and then left," Sora explained quietly.

"And I take you that you want to help anyway," Riku said as he looked at his distraught friend. Sora gave a jerky nod of his head. "You're hearts too big for your own good."

"So you mean we can help him?" Sora asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," Riku agreed. "We'll talk to him when we go to the festival."

"Thank you," Sora said with a small, shy, smile and Riku felt his heart flutter. Once again he shook his head. He would not think about his best friend that way. Especially after everything said best friend had been through. It would feel like he would be taking advantage of his vulnerable state.

Sora smiled as he walked around the festival with Riku. The town had gone all out for it. There were booths set up selling things. Like food or different types of jewelry and knick-knacks. And some of the booths had games where you could win prizes. They had already stopped by Mazy's and they each bought one of her famous sweet rolls.

"You have icing on your cheek," Riku said with a smirk.

"Do I?" Sora asked as he scrubbed at his face.

"You missed it," Riku said with a chuckle. Sora scrubbed at his face again. "You still missed. Let me." Riku then took his thumb and wiped it across Sora's cheek. Sora felt his entire face heat up at the action. He was so busy trying to calm his own blushing that he missed Riku's.

"T-t-thanks," Sora stammered.

"Sure. No problem. So…ah…any sign of this Oliver yet?" Riku asked.

"No," Sora said. He had been keeping his eyes open for the man all day.

"And what does he look like?" Riku asked.

"Um," Sora said as he tapped his lips. "Taller than me but shorter than you. He's skinny with green eyes and freckles."

"You looking for Oliver?" Robert came up and asked them. "Sorry I didn't mean to overhear but he's the only person that fits that description."

"Yes we are," Sora said as he looked at the man. There was something different about him today but he didn't know what it was.

"He's hiding out at Mac's. Not a big fan of crowds," Robert said as he looked down the road as if he could see Oliver hiding there.

"Thank you," Riku said and they turned to leave but Robert spoke.

"You boys staying for the fireworks?" he asked.

"We rented a room at the inn," Sora told him.

"That's good," Robert said as he looked up at the sky. "It's going to be a good night for it."

"Right, well thanks for the tip," Riku said. Then the two of them walked down the street. "Well he was acting odd."

"You noticed it to?" Sora asked as he looked back at the man who was still looking up at the sky. He then looked at them with a creepy smile before he turned away and disappeared into the crowd.

"Oh yeah," Riku said. "Maybe he's drunk or something."

"Maybe," Sora said but he had a feeling that something else was going on.

They managed to weave their way through the crowd to Mac's store. The man was walking around with a big smile and whistling a happy tune. For once he was free of soot and he had pulled his hair back into a neat braid. He even trimmed his beard.

"Hello boys," Mac said with a big friendly smile. "What are you doing way back here? You should be enjoying the festival."

"We heard that a certain someone might be hiding out back here," Sora said as he tried to look around the large man which turned out to be impossible.

"He's hiding in the back," Mac said with a chuckle as he pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. "You boys staying for the fireworks?"

"Of course," Riku answered.

"We rented a room at the inn and everything," Sora added.

"Good," Mac said his smile growing. "See if you can talk Oliver into going. He seems so sad without Ian around."

"We'll try," Sora told him. Mac gave them a wink then picked up a crate than was bigger than Sora before leaving once again whistling a song.

"So I finally get to meet the mysterious Oliver," Riku said an odd note to his voice. Sora was going to comment on it but Oliver happened to walk in from the back of the store.

"Mac I…" the man started to say but stopped when he saw the two of them. "Oh…ah…where's Mac?"

"I think he went to setup the fireworks," Sora said as he looked at the man. He looked even more tired than he did last time he had seen him.

"Right," Oliver said as he sat down on the anvil. "He's real excited about that. So what are you doing here?"

"This is Riku," Sora said as he pointed at him.

"I take it he's the friend that you mentioned?" Oliver said as he raised a thin eyebrow.

"He is," Sora said as he looked over at Riku.

"So what can I do for you two?" Oliver asked.

"I thought that you might want some help finding your friend," Sora told him. Once again the man looked around him nervously.

"I already told you that it was dangerous," Oliver hissed.

"That doesn't matter to Sora especially when he sees someone that needs help," Riku cut in.

"That attitude will lead to nothing but trouble," Oliver said with a sigh.

"We can handle a little trouble," Riku told him. Oliver gave a humorless chuckle.

"You're just kids. You shouldn't have to worry about things like…just forget it. It will be better for you," Oliver argued.

"We may be just kids but we have already have been through our own trouble, let's just say we can handle more than you think," Riku argued back.

"Fine then. If you really want to help I'll tell you what's actually going on," Oliver finally gave in with a sigh, "but not in town. Like I told you it's not safe."

"We're spending the night at the inn here but you can come back to our place with us tomorrow. We live about a two hour ride out of town," Sora offered hoping the man would accept.

"Alright I'll meet you at the inn tomorrow morning," Oliver said.

"Do you want to watch the fireworks with us?" Sora offered. Even though he wanted to watch them alone with Riku; Oliver just looked so sad and lonely. It wasn't right.

"No. I have something that I need to do," Oliver said as he quickly got up and left.

"So that was Oliver," Riku said as he looked in the direction that the man basically had fled.

"Yeah," Sora said with a frown. "So what do you think?"

"I think he does need our help. He also reminds me of someone," Riku said with a crooked smile.

"He does?" Sora asked curiously. "Who?"

"Come on," Riku said as he ruffled his hair. "Let's go and enjoy the fair and then find someplace to enjoy the fireworks."

The sun was just starting to set when Riku dragged Sora to find a descent spot to watch the fireworks. He had tried to enjoy the day with him but the new emotions he was feeling when he looked at his friend were confusing him. Then there was Oliver. The man was definitely in some type of trouble. Just how much trouble was the question. When he said he didn't want to talk in town. Riku had to admit that it was worrying him.

"Mama is the fireworks go to be canceled?" a little girl asked.

"It's going Mariah, not go and why do you ask?" the mother asked as she looked down at her daughter.

"The big, black, cloud," the little girl said as she pointed up at the sky. Both Sora and Riku looked up at the sky and Riku shivered at the sight. He didn't know what those were but they weren't clouds. He knew that Sora knew the same thing but how stiffly he was standing. At that moment Oliver came running towards them his face stark white.

"Those aren't clouds. They're worlags," Oliver said his voice tight.

"Worlags!" the woman exclaimed her eyes going wide in fright. "But there hasn't been a worlag attack in nearly 100 years!"

"But that's what they are," Oliver said his voice deadly calm despite his appearance.

"I'm going to sound the alarm," a nearby man said as he ran off towards the town's warning bell.

"Mama what go…going on?" the little girl asked looking frightened.

"It's going to be fine. Don't you worry," the woman then scooped up her daughter and ran into one of the nearby shops. Most of the people were doing the same thing.

"You two might want to hide to. This isn't going to be pleasant," Oliver said.

"And I already told you we've been through our own troubles," Riku said as he called his keyblade. Sora doing the same. Oliver's eyes went wide but then gave them a small smile and a nod of approval.

"You boys fightin'?" Mac came up and asked them a large hammer in each hand.

"I'm not a boy," Oliver said with a scowl.

"You're a boy as far as I'm concerned," Mac said with a wink. Oliver glared at the man as drew his own sword and held it as if he was very familiar with the weapon.

"You ready for this?" Riku asked as he turned his attention to Sora. His smaller friend had a determined look in his eye. He gave a stiff nod before focusing his attention on the enemy. Riku shook his head. He took Sora away from home because he didn't want him to have to fight anymore. He wanted time for his friend to heal after everything that he had been through. But this was no time for regrets. Riku then also turned his attention to the incoming enemy.

Sora watched as in the dark cloud came closer and closer. He could now hear the distinct flap of hundreds of wings. The sound was almost deafening. The only other thing he heard were the screams of the townspeople that were now running towards the shops.

The creatures then descended on the town. Sora had never seen anything like them. They were the size of a large dog but they were hairless. Their skin was dark and leathery. Their wings looked like those of a bat. Their back legs were like those of a cat. Their front legs looked almost human arms except instead of finger they had long, thin, razor sharp claws. Their heads though were what were truly frightening. They were the shape of a horse but their eyes glowed red and their mouths were full of fangs dripping with saliva.

One of them flew straight at Sora. He raised his keyblade and struck it down. The animal let out a terrible shriek as it landed in a heap at his feet oozing black blood. He heard someone scream to his left. Sora turned to see a man being attacked by one of the creatures.

He ran over to help them. He managed to knock the creature off the man. It hissed at him then jumped at him. Once again Sora brought up his keyblade and struck the animal down but not before it made a swipe at him putting several gashes across his left shoulder.

Not having time to deal with his injury at the moment Sora turned his attention to the man that the creature had attacked. He felt sick to his stomach at the sight. The man was dead. He hadn't been quick enough.

He didn't have time to mourn the man though as another one of those creatures attacked him. This time it knocked him to the ground. Sora managed to bring up his Keyblade and use it as a barrier to keep it from ripping out his throat. He kicked it off of him sending it flying make it land on its back. Sora then jumped up and ran it through.

Sora looked around the carnage that was going on. He easily spotted Riku. His friend sliced one in half. He swung his Keyblade around and sliced another one in half. Mac was using his hammers in tandem. He knocked one out of the air with one and with the other one he crushed its head.

Oliver was a little harder to spot. For a moment he thought that they might have killed his new friend. Sora then saw him. Oliver was surrounded by three of them. He was on his way to help him when Oliver ran two of them through with one thrust and then swiped his sword to cut the other one in half.

Sora then looked at the other townspeople who had chosen to fight. Some were holding their own and others had already died in the attack their bodies mingled with those of the very creatures that they were fighting. It was an awful sight. One that Sora knew that he would never be able to forget.

He couldn't think about them now though. If he did he wouldn't be able to protect the town or his friends. Sora then raised his Keyblade as another creature came flying at him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Review Thanks!**

**Ern Estine 13624: **Thank you! No it's not a crossover. Everyone but the Kingdom Hearts characters belong to me.

**Riku'sgirl19: **Thanks! I'm glad you like it :)

**AN: **Sorry it took me so long to get his up. Job hunting sucks. So excited about the release of Kingdom Hearts 1.5! Going to buy that as soon as I can! Anyway here's chapter 5. Please leave a review and tell me what you think!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

The battle with the worlags went on until it was nearly dawn. Riku was exhausted; he felt sick at the carnage that those creatures had left in their wake. He was sitting on the steps of one of the buildings Sora curled up next to him dozing lightly but not sleeping. He knew that his smaller friend would have trouble sleeping that night.

They were covered in dirt, blood, and the black blood that came from those creatures. After the battle Sora and Riku tried to use their magic to heal; magic wasn't so uncommon in this world but it wouldn't work. It was then explained to them that the blood of those creatures had some sort of toxin that kept healing magic from working.

The town had set up a makeshift medical center in the inn. Riku had his left arm wrapped in bandages and Sora his chest. They got off lucky. At least they were both still alive and their injuries weren't life threatening.

"How you boys holdin' up?" Mac came over and asked them sporting a bandage wrapped around his head and his right arm in a sling.

"We're alive," Riku said as he ran his fingers through Sora's hair trying to keep him calm.

"This isn't the first time that you've seen battle," Mac stated more than asked.

"No," Riku said quietly. "We actually came here to get away…" He didn't want to finish that thought. He wanted to give a chance for Sora to heal, for both of them to heal.

"I'm sorry you got involved in this," Mac said sincerely.

"Don't be," Sora said quietly.

"You boys look done in. Why don't you go to my place and rest. I already sent Oliver there," Mac told them.

"But we should help," Sora said as he sat up. Mac shook his head.

"Not much you can do right now. We won't start to rebuild for a while. Give everyone a chance to cope and grieve," Mac said looking weary. "You two look after each other and Oliver if you wouldn't mind."

"Alright. We will," Riku said as he stood up then help Sora to his feet. Mac gave a small nod of his head before continuing on his way.

"I should have done more. Tried harder," Sora said as the two of them made their way through what was left of the town.

"We did everything we could," Riku tried to reassure his friend. Sora shook his head.

"Come on." Riku put his arm around his smaller friend's shoulder and quickly led him through the town. The less Sora saw of the havoc the better.

They walked into Mac's home Riku let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't overly big as he lived there alone but it was comfortable. The main room was on the small side but it had comfortable chairs and a very soft looking couch. There was a sizeable fireplace with a fire already going. Oliver stood in front of it looking just as broken as Sora.

The man's hair was damp and he looked clean. He had fresh looking bandages wrapped around his chest and that's all he wore besides a loose fitting pair of pants. Now that Riku got a good looking at him he could tell that Oliver had lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time.

"There's clean water in the washroom," Oliver said without looking at them.

"Why don't you go first," Riku told his friend. Sora looked at him, then Oliver who was still staring into the fire, then back to him before giving a slight nod.

"There's some clean clothes in there as well but they'll probably be too big," Oliver said.

"Thanks," Sora replied quietly before he walked into the washroom and closed the door.

"You knew we were coming?" Riku asked the man curiously.

"Kinda of figured," Oliver said sounding exhausted. "I have more water heating. You can use it after your friend has finished."

"Figured?" Riku asked curious. There was something odd about Oliver.

"Call it a gut feeling," Oliver said with a shrug.

"Right," Riku said knowing there was more to it than that. Oliver let out a long sigh.

"Alright there's more to it than that and if you two still want to help I'll explain it to you both but I only want to do it once," Oliver said as he finally looked over at him. His green eyes held so much pain it was hard to look at him. He could now see why Sora wanted to help him so much.

A few hours later the three of them were seated in the main room of the house, all of them clean and in fresh clothes. Riku had made them something to eat. Even though no one mentioned being hungry he knew that should eat; especially after everything that they had been through. Not to mention that both Sora and Oliver were to thin.

"Before we talk I need to do something first. What I'm going to say can't be overheard," Oliver said as he waved his hand. All of the noises of the outside disappeared and even though the room looked the same it felt smaller. Riku looked over at Sora and saw that he looked as startled as he felt.

"What did you do?" Sora asked his voice sounding slightly muffled.

"I cast a shielding spell so we can't be overheard," Oliver said as he looked at them curiously. "I thought you two were familiar with magic."

"We are, but I never heard of a spell like that," Sora said as he looked around the room.

"You two are from another world, aren't you?" Oliver asked his eyes narrowed.

"Yes, but I didn't think people here knew about other worlds," Riku said as he again shared a look with Sora.

"Most don't and I wouldn't go advertising it if I were you. It won't lead to anything good," Oliver said with a frown.

"Noted. Now you said that you would explain what's going on," Riku said suddenly feeling frustrated.

"Since you two know about other worlds this should be easier to understand, or at least I hope it will be. There is, basically two sides to this world. Much like the existence of other worlds most people don't know this or they just think it's a myth or a legend.

"How do you get to this other side?" Sora asked curiously. Riku was wondering the same thing as he saw no signs of gummi ships and he hoped they didn't use darkness.

"Well…the thing of it is that you don't travel to it, as it's here," Oliver explained. Riku opened his mouth to ask how that was possible as it didn't even make sense but the man shook his head. "There is, how should I put this," Oliver thought as he chewed his bottom lip, "I guess you could call it a veil or an invisible wall that separates the two halves of the world.

"Both sides have magic but the other side _needs_ magic and so do the creatures that live there and unlike the people here they are very much aware of our existence and if they are strong enough they are able to tear the veil and come through."

Oliver paused here suddenly looking tired and very upset. Riku had a feeling that this was where the man needed there help. He glanced over at Sora and saw a determined look on his face and he knew that no matter what Oliver said or how dangerous it was that Sora was going to help him.

"This is where Ian comes in. His family as known of the existence of the veil for a 1,000 years. He inherited the job as Caretaker of the veil from his great-aunt. He watches the overlap of the two worlds. He is one of the few that can cross between the two worlds with ease. He also tried to keep the peace between our two worlds."

"And now he's missing," Sora said quietly. Oliver nodded looking close to tears.

"There have been more 'tears' in the veil recently, this isn't the first worlag attack that I've been in recently. I was helping him look into what was causing these tears. We were on our way here when I woke up one morning and he was gone. He left a note telling me to go home. That he didn't need me anymore," Oliver said his voice wavering slightly. "But I can't do that. Not only does he mean a lot to me but if there are too man tears then…" Riku had a very good idea what Oliver meant even though he didn't finish his thought.

"We'll help you," Sora said not surprising Riku in the least.

"But this isn't your fight," Oliver said quietly.

"Of course it is!" Sora argued. "We have friends here and you're our friend too."

"I'm your friend," Oliver said with a hint of a smile. "You just met me."

"Doesn't matter. You're our friend and we never abandon our friends when they need help," Sora pressed.

"The right thing to do would be to turn you down and not let you help but I can't do this alone so I'll just say thank you. And with Ian missing…it's good to have friends again."


	6. Chapter 6

**Review Thanks!**

**Riku'sgirl19: **Thank you! Yeah, poor Oliver. I have a lot planned for him and Sora (Evil Laughter!)

**Guest: **Thank you very much. I'm glad you like it :)

**AN: **Well here's chapter 6! I got it up really soon this time :) Chapter 7 is almost finished as well. Hope everyone had a nice Easter and if you don't celebrate Easter hope you had a nice spring day. We had a small snow storm where I live and had to have our egg hunt in the house (shudders) 5 kids looking for eggs in a very small house. Anyway please leave a review and let me know what you think!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

They left very early the next morning. Sora and Riku decided that they didn't need to go back to their house as there wasn't anything that they desperately needed. They couldn't abandon their animals though so they left a note for Mac and hoped that they man would take care of them. Oliver looked back at the two boys following him. They looked so young but he could tell by the way that they moved that they had seen their share of battles.

"Do you have any idea where we're going?" Riku asked sounding curious with a hint of frustration.

"Somewhere over that way," Oliver said as he pointed. "The veil feels thinnest over there which means that's where Ian is."

"You can sense the veil?" Sora asked.

"Mmm-hm," Oliver hummed. He knew that they would wonder about that but he didn't know how they would react to something like what he was.

"How is that possible?" Riku asked an edge to his voice. Oliver had learned very quickly that Riku didn't like when things were kept from him.

"Well…ah, how can I put this. My grandmother was a fairy," Oliver said deciding that being blunt was the best choice. When he didn't hear a reply he turned around to see the boys looking at him with the most curious expressions on their faces.

"You're part fairy?" Sora asked in awe. Oliver nodded. "So can you grant wishes and things?"

"No nothing like that," Oliver chuckled. "I can just do small magics and I'm sensitive to the veil. My grandmother gave up a lot when she fell in love with my grandfather." Oliver felt at pain in his chest when he thought of his grandmother. He missed her something fierce.

"So are there others like you?" Riku asked.

"Not that I know of. Like I said my grandmother gave up a lot. In fact my mother showed no signs of her fairy heritage. Me on the other hand," Oliver said with a shrug. He looked very much like his grandmother what with his tiny, delicate features and his sensitivity to the veil among other things. The odd thing was his mother had no magic abilities whatsoever. He on the other hand seemed to have them in spades.

"You're the third fairy that I've met," Sora said with a wistful smile.

"Third?" Oliver asked now curious about his two companions. He really didn't know anything about them.

"There the fairy godmother and then Tinker Bell. They helped us out with…" Sora started to say and then shared a look with Riku. The two of them looked as if they were having a silent conversation.

"You might as well tell him," Riku said with a sigh.

They then told their story. Each taking their turn explaining what they had been through. When it got too difficult to talk the other one would automatically take over. Oliver was appalled by what he heard. He put his hand over his heart. That someone would do something as horrible as ripping out someone's heart, their soul. It was one of the worst things that he had ever heard. And the things that man, no not man a creature had done to everyone. He also knew that there were things that they weren't telling him and he wasn't going to ask. He had things that were too painful for him to talk about and he knew that it was the same for them.

"You have already been through so much are you sure…" Oliver started to ask but stopped when Sora sent him a glare his way, "so, ah, you call your weapon a keyblade. Can I see one?"

"Sure," Sora said with a small smile. The boy held out his hand his hand and a large key appeared in it. Oliver could sense the unusual magic radiating from it and his fingers itched to touch it. Sora handed it over and Oliver could feel the power flowing through it. It was almost overwhelming.

"Now," Sora continued, "you can change its design and powers but changing this." Sora held up the curious object at the end of the weapon.

"Really?" Oliver asked in even more awe. "Can you show me?"

* * *

Riku told himself repeatedly that he was not jealous. So what if Oliver and Sora had been talking most of the morning and smiling. Oliver seemed to find the keyblade fascinating and Sora seemed happy to explain it to him. Sora would change the keyblade and the two of them would get into a very detailed discussion on its pros and cons compared to the others.

Sora smiled, a real smile, at something that Oliver said and Riku again reminded himself that he wasn't jealous. In all actuality he had no right to be jealous. Sora was nothing but a good friend, more like a brother really. Yes that made sense. Riku figured that's why he was jealous. No he wasn't jealous. He was more concerned. It was obvious by the way Oliver talked about Ian the two of them were close. If Sora ended up _liking_ Oliver it wouldn't come to anything.

At least he hoped it would come to nothing. Not that Oliver was a bad guy. In fact he was very nice and he wasn't bad looking; him and Sora also got along well. He hadn't seen Sora smile so much in a long time. Riku stopped that train of thought. He did not want to go there.

"Hey Riku," Sora called out. Riku stopped and turned around to see both Sora and Oliver giving him strange looks. "We decided to stop for lunch. Didn't you hear us?"

"Sorry I was lost in thought," Riku said as he walked back to join them. Oliver gave him a knowing look, Riku chose to ignore it.

"You feeling alright?" Sora asked with a worried frown.

"I'm fine," Riku said with a wave of his hand. "So what are we going to make?" Oliver raised an eyebrow.

"For all of your travels you two of never had to hide from the enemy, have you?" Oliver asked. They shook their heads. "Thought as much. The enemy is out looking for people that can fight them. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves."

"Did those creatures attack the town looking for you?" Riku asked. He regretted asking the question immediately as Oliver's face went stark white. He hadn't meant to upset him. He was just wondering what kind of danger they were in.

"I…I never thought…all of those people…the town, it's all my fault," Oliver stuttered. The man then stood up and walked off. Sora sighed and ran his hand tiredly through his hair.

"I didn't mean…"

"I know," Sora said cutting him off. "I'm going to talk to him."

* * *

Sora slowly approached the man not sure what to say. He was clearly upset and he hardly knew him. But Oliver was hurting and he didn't have anyone else to turn to. Sora had to make him believe that he could talk to him.

"It wasn't your fault, you know," Sora told him. Oliver chuckled humorously.

"How can you say that with such assuredity?" Oliver asked his voice devoid of emotion.

"I know that I haven't known you for very long but I can tell that you aren't the type of person to put others in danger," Sora said. Oliver didn't say anything but he knew that the man was listening to him. "If you thought those creatures were going to attack the town because of you, would you have gone there?"

"No," Oliver said with a slight shake of his head. "I only went there because I was hoping Ian might be there. Me and Ian we travel al…we traveled a lot. The town was one of our favorite places to visit."

"See then it wasn't your fault and there is no guarantee that those…"

"Worlags," Oliver supplied for him.

"Worlags," Sora repeated. "There's no guarantee that they attacked the town because of you. Don't take on too much. I know from first-hand experience what that does to a person." Oliver gave him a long look as if he was searching for something before the man visibly relaxed.

"You're right. I'm sorry I wigged out on you. I never had many friends except for Ian and now that he's gone…"

"Well you have two more now," Sora assured him.

"Thank you," Oliver said giving him a genuine smile. Sora returned it. The two of them headed back to Riku who looked anxious.

"Everything alright?" Riku asked.

"Everything's fine," Sora said as he sat down next to him. He was feeling tired. After everything that happened yesterday and what was going on with Oliver the last thing that Sora wanted to do was sleep. He couldn't handle his nightmares along with everyone else's.

* * *

Ian looked up at the night sky from the entrance of the cave that he was staying in. It was times like this that he _almost_ regretted his decision to leave Oliver behind. But he didn't. It was better this way. Safer. With Oliver gone he could now focus completely on what he had to do.


End file.
